New pergola project

[7dogguy]

My wife and I built a 10 X 10 (inside dimensions) pergola on our patio. We started Friday, after I had done some corbel (spelling?) cutting and had set the post bases earlier in the week. We used steel mounts, set on the concrete and secured with Redhead wedge bolts.

Took a full three days but should be worth it come sunny weather. Overall we are really happy with the outcome; Christy gets credit for the decorating, ha ha ha...here I am Sunday with three of my "helpers".

[buck1032]

Good job. It looks really good! It sure beats my weekend wood project. LOL I made a "ball caddy" that the wife saw on the DIY channel, How to Build a Ball Caddy : How-To : DIY Network . I took thier idea and scaled it down to fit my space. I tried really hard to just use the wood and materials that i had on hand but that didnt work out for me as I did get a sheet of 1/4 ply for the backing. I also cheated on the 1x2 facing and just ripped some 2x4's down. I might paint it later on this summer, but then again I might not. LOL

[7dogguy]

Hey, it looks good to me! And I think it looks pretty darned useful and serviceable. Fun to do stuff ourselves and I wish I knew more about "house building" stuff beyond basic inside doors, etc. I admire the folks in the trades. Do you ever watch Mike Holmes on HGTV - guy does some heavy duty fixes?

[peejman]

Looks great! Nice to see someone who actually uses the appropriate bolts and brackets. The shelf across the back is a nice touch. The ball caddy looks cool too. Carpentry is fun. I'll also confess to being a Mike Holmes fan. He does some really neat stuff and it's just staggering to see how badly some people get screwed.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

That Pergola looks great. And the ball caddy.

It is fun to work wood. I need to do some kind of wood project this year. Thinking maybe a shed in the back woods or possibly a lean-to shed on the back of the house. A nice dry place for the lawn tools and concrete mixer to sleep.

A couple of years ago I made this Astro Chair out of scrap exterior yellow wood. It is an adjustable height chair initially intended for telescope viewing. When you are viewing straight up you need to sit low, and when viewing close to the horizon you need to sit high. Or vice-versa, depending on the scope design.

I put an overkill amount of of scrap wood in it because I weigh 250 pounds and pine is not the strongest wood. It works OK and I intended to leave it sitting out on the back slab. But after a few months the wife decided it was perfect adjustable height for her craft work and brought it in to her work table. It was kind of an experiment and maybe one of these days try a lighter version with Oak or some other hardwood. This one ain't all that heavy in pine and you don't want it tilting out from underneath you when fully extended to the top. But with so much wood in it, looks reminiscent of a middle-ages catapult or something.

[Guest BenderBendingRodriguez]

Super impressed by all this work! I'm becoming handy a little at a time, but I don't see any projects like these in my future.

[G27]

Yah, some really nice projects!

I finished up a 'built in' bookshelf / entertainment center last year for the wife- I love wood working, but don't really typically have the time for bigger projects (this one took a while)...

Next big project is a new enclosed patio for the rear of the house...

[Guest nicemac]

My most recent projects.

In the shop:

In the house:

Under Construction:

[G27]

My most recent projects.

Under Construction:

GREAT detail work - give me more!

[peejman]

Wow, some talented carpenters here! My Dad has always been a carpenter at heart and has gotten into wood turning in retirement. He makes some really neat stuff.

[Guest nicemac]

GREAT detail work - give me more!

Thanks. I piddle around. I haven't taken any images of the finished piece…

[G27]

Very nice, nicemac. You staining that? It's definitely stain-worthy..

[Guest nicemac]

Very nice, nicemac. You staining that? It's definitely stain-worthy..

It was for a room that was all white. Already painted three coats of Porter gloss white.

[7dogguy]

Nice work on the chair. I now have to use some of the srap and build a couple of footstools for the patio; Christy said she will pad and cover them with outdoor fabric.

On your shed project, Popular Mechanics last issue had a good section on building sheds - of course, they had some really cool ones shown.

It is fun to make things with our hands.

[7dogguy]

Man that is some nice work! I haven't done anything like that, but hope springs eternal for the DIYer.

[7dogguy]

You are making nice pieces - can't wait to see the pics of the final product.

[7dogguy]

Thanks...Christy accuses me of using a zillion fasteners, but things don't fall apart on me, LOL.